A technology overhaul at the Office of Drug Control (ODC) has taken another step forward with the launch of an online portal to lodge applications for medicinal cannabis manufacturing licences.
The Health Business Services portal (HBS) will enable companies to lodge forms online and check the status and progress of licence applications.
Applicants and licence holders will also be able to add and change nominated contacts and authorise registered users to draft and submit applications on their behalf.
The portal is initially limited to manufacturing licences, with other licences, permits and notification forms moving across to the portal during the year.
The ODC said the A$3 million IT upgrade forms part of a commitment to “deliver more transparent, evidence and risk-based regulation, while reducing the regulatory burden on industry”.
The modernisation of the ODC’s labour-intensive, paper-based systems was flagged last year by assistant secretary Avi Rebera who pledged to deliver a more efficient and streamlined service for the industry. Automating processes, eliminating duplication and accelerating applications were among the key aims.
The long-overdue investment followed years of underfunding by central government that frustrated both the industry and over-stretched ODC staff.
Of particular agitation for businesses was the difficulty in charting the progress of an application, something the online portal will seek to address.
The ODC told the industry it will be “iteratively releasing more functionalities that will allow industry members to complete a range of currently paper-based tasks more quickly and conveniently online”.
The drug regulator added: “Throughout 2024, the Office of Drug Control has been undertaking a Transformation Program, through which we are establishing the online Health Business Services portal and digital case management system to make it easier and more convenient for industry stakeholders to do business with us.
“We will progressively move all other licence, permit and notification forms onto the portal throughout the remainder of 2024.”